Urbanologi Launches Its Spring 2017 Menu

Chef Jack’s new menu features fresh and flavourful dishes to celebrate spring in the big city.

The talented kitchen at Urbanologi is never afraid to experiment, and their wide-ranging new spring menu is no exception. We recently got to spend some time with the brains behind the gourmet cuisine coming out of the Urbanologi kitchen, Head Chef Jack Coetzee, and found out a bit more about the new spring menu and what exactly you should be ordering on your next visit to the tapas-style eatery.

Star ingredients were not necessarily the focal point for their spring menu. According to Chef Jack, they instead turned their attention to what makes South African flavours unique. Most notably, their oysters are served with fermented jalapeño and burnt lime salsa. Quite simply, they tried to mimic jalapeño Tabasco, lemon juice and black pepper. Urbanologi did not have the time, nor the equipment to make their own Tabasco, so, instead, used a concoction of fermented jalapeños, black garlic and burnt lime to create those flavours.

Vegetarians no longer need to hang out in the salad or French fry section of the menu at Urbanologi. Of their 22-item menu, vegetarian dishes occupy 12 of those slots. They have made a concerted effort to create vegetarian-friendly options that showcase how interesting and delicious greens can be…. Oh, there’s also a delicious spring salad, just in case anyone was wondering.

Mad Giant’s beers, as well as the contributions made by the brewers, form a vital part of preparing new concepts at Urbanologi. The time taken to educate the kitchen on the methods and processes provides valuable insight. From this, they can then create dishes that can be paired specifically with a Mad Giant beer. The symbiosis between the two is essential in providing a unique experience for their diners… it’s called molecular gastronomy for a reason, you know.

Brenden, Urbanologi’s wild and wacky pastry development chef, has come up with two spectacular additions to their dessert menu. Frozen banana malt mousse is something that’ll fluff up the palate and keep the temperature cool. The mousse sits on top of salted pistachios and is accompanied by two chocolate truffles. The first is a 70% dark chocolate to provide an earthy twist to complement the salted pistachios. The second is a caramelised white chocolate rolled in honeycomb – this little gem sweetens the deal, as well as providing variable texture.

Another dessert dish that stands out by far is the Simcoe cotton candy. The dish starts off with a charred peach. A pineapple sorbet is placed on top of the peach and candy floss goes on top of that – providing a playful/nostalgic element to the dessert. If you were unaware, Simcoe is a variety of hop used by the brewery, from which they have also created a spice that is delicately sprinkled over the candy floss.

By Shawn Greyling

Have you been to Urbanoligi before? Well, now you have an excuse to try out their brand spanking new menu. Let us know what you think of it in the comments section below. Sharing is caring, so show this to that fine-dining fundi friend of yours.

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